St. Louis, Missouri
February 25, 2003

Available for 2003 planting, YieldGard Rootworm corn promises better protection and reduced insecticide use for U.S. farmers battling the 'billion-dollar bug'

Monsanto Company today announced it received a registration from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its new YieldGard Rootworm insect-protected corn technology -- allowing commercialization of the first biotech corn designed to control the corn rootworm pest for the 2003
planting season.

The EPA granted Monsanto a commercial registration for YieldGard Rootworm corn, completing the Agency's comprehensive environmental safety assessment. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration completed their reviews of YieldGard Rootworm corn previously.

"This is another milestone in the continued growth of plant biotechnology," said Robert T. Fraley, Ph.D., chief technology officer for Monsanto. "The fact that this technology continues to grow is a testament to the benefits of plant biotechnology and to the promise of products like YieldGard Rootworm corn."

YieldGard Rootworm corn contains a protein from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a common soil microbe that specifically targets corn rootworm larvae, allowing the corn plant to naturally protect its roots against the damaging corn rootworm. The corn rootworm has earned the nickname the "billion-dollar bug" as the USDA estimates that this pest causes $1 billion in lost revenue annually to the U.S. corn crop.

"With the protection built into the seed, YieldGard Rootworm corn controls a damaging corn pest while significantly reducing the amount of insecticide that has to be used to protect the crop," said Fraley. "More insecticides are used to fight corn rootworm than any other pest in corn -- which is the crop grown on the largest number of acres in the United States."

Growers are very interested in the benefits offered by this new biotech approach to controlling corn rootworm.

"In the past, we've had to spray up to three insecticides in a single growing season to control this pest. So, we are very excited about having the type of technology that can have this rootworm resistance built within the plant itself," says Kevin Penny, a corn grower from Burlington, Colorado.

YieldGard Rootworm Corn To Be Commercialized for 2003 Planting

With regulatory reviews complete in both the United States and Japan -- a key export market for U.S. corn growers -- Monsanto is the first company to commercialize a biotechnology product designed to combat the corn rootworm.

For 2003, the YieldGard Rootworm trait will be available in corn hybrids sold through Monsanto's branded seed businesses -- DEKALB and Asgrow -- as well as through licensed, independent seed companies.

"The registration of YieldGard Rootworm corn is great news for the hundreds of seed companies and tens of thousands of U.S. farmers who are seeing the benefits of biotech products," said Jennifer Ozimkiewicz, marketing manager for Monsanto's corn traits. "Research shows YieldGard Rootworm corn offers significant benefits to corn growers, including superior control of the corn rootworm, reduced exposure to insecticides and more convenience at planting."

Research conducted at academic field trial locations during the past three years has shown that YieldGard Rootworm corn was more consistent in controlling rootworm damage than the best performing insecticide.

YieldGard Rootworm corn joins Monsanto's "YieldGard" family of insect- control products for corn, which also includes YieldGard Corn Borer corn. Monsanto also plans to sell a stacked-version of the two insect-protection traits, called YieldGard Plus corn once EPA review is completed and registration is obtained. Additionally, Monsanto will offer stacked combinations of the products with Monsanto's Roundup Ready trait for weed control in the near future.

Regulatory Review Affirms Product Safety and Sets Stewardship Requirements

The EPA's decision completes an extensive assessment process for YieldGard Rootworm corn that included evaluation of the numerous safety studies conducted on the product, examination of commercial-level environmental impacts and an assessment of stewardship practices, including insect resistance management.

In granting the registration for YieldGard Rootworm corn, EPA determined it posed no adverse human health or environmental
safety concerns.

An important part of insect-protected corn product stewardship is the use of insect resistance management (IRM) practices to delay the potential development of resistance by target pests. IRM plans are designed to keep these insect pests from developing resistance to the technology, so that it will remain an effective pest control tool.

As a part of the registration, EPA requires an IRM program similar to those already in use for earlier Bt products such as YieldGard Corn Borer corn. For YieldGard Rootworm corn, the EPA requires growers to plant a 20 percent refuge of non-YieldGard Rootworm corn adjacent to or within the YieldGard Rootworm cornfield.

Monsanto worked for more than four years in collaboration with university and government scientists, the nation's leading corn rootworm experts -- a committee of scientists called "NCR-46" -- in developing the IRM plan for YieldGard Rootworm corn.

Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) is a leading global provider of technology- based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality. For more information on Monsanto, see: www.monsanto.com 

Background on the Corn Rootworm

The Corn Rootworm Pest

Corn yields are adversely impacted by a number of insect pests. One of the most pernicious pests in the U.S. Corn Belt is a family of pests called the corn rootworm complex -- known by entomologists as "Diabrotica." There are several types of rootworm, including the northern corn rootworm (D. barberi), the western corn rootworm (D. virgifera virgifera) and the Mexican corn rootworm (D. virgifera zeae).

The corn rootworm does its damage as a larva -- the immature stage of the insect. After mating in the late summer, adult corn rootworms lay their eggs in the soil, depositing them in cornfields. The eggs survive over winter underground and hatch in the spring, where the larvae feed on the roots of the young corn plants that have been planted in farmers' fields. Rootworm larvae feed almost exclusively on corn roots. Rootworm larvae feeding inhibits the corn plant's ability to take up water and nutrients, its ability to develop and remain upright, and -- ultimately -- it can lead to possible yield loss depending on the damage inflicted on the roots by the feeding pests.

The corn rootworm has earned the nickname the "billion-dollar bug" as the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that the corn rootworm causes $1 billion in lost revenue annually to the U.S. corn crop -- including approximately $800 million in yield loss and $200 million in cost of treatment for corn growers.

Corn Rootworm Infestation: Current and Projected

Corn rootworms are widely distributed throughout the corn growing regions in the U.S. that are east of the Rocky Mountains. Academics who study the rootworms effect on agriculture estimate that 30 million of the approximately 80 million acres devoted to corn production in the United States are currently infested with corn rootworm.

Of the acres that are infested with corn rootworm, the damage is severe enough that growers must treat their crop on more than 12 million acres annually. However, scientists expect that within the next 20 years rootworm infestation could expand to affect more than 47 million acres in the United States.

Combating Rootworm: Crop Rotation

Growers limit corn rootworm damage primarily through crop rotation or the use of soil insecticides. Historically, crop rotation has provided highly effective protection from corn rootworm damage in many agronomic situations because it breaks the pest's life cycle as corn rootworm eggs that were laid in corn fields emerge in non-corn fields the subsequent year.

Rotation remains an important tool for rootworm control but, for economic reasons, a great deal of corn is planted year after year. In addition, it has recently been observed that rootworms are adapting to rotation practices.

Western corn rootworm beetles fly out of cornfields and lay their eggs in soybean fields. If the farmer rotates to corn the next season, there could be a population of rootworm larvae in the field waiting to attack the emerging corn crop the next season.

While this phenomenon is limited geographically, the area is expanding. First discovered in 1992, it's now a problem on approximately 5 million acres in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

In addition to adaptation by laying eggs in soybean fields, Northern corn rootworm populations in southern Minnesota, southern South Dakota and northwest Iowa, have overcome corn and soybean rotations by delaying egg hatch until two winters have passed. By delaying hatch until corn is planted again into the field, hatching larvae now have a suitable food source on which to feed. This phenomenon is called "extended diapause."

Combating the Rootworm: Insecticide Treatments

While crop rotation has been used historically strategy for managing the threat of rootworm damage, with the increase in the number of acres not rotated but planted to continuous corn, insecticides have also become an important tool in combating the corn rootworm. In 2001, U.S. growers spent $155 million on insecticides to control corn rootworm, with corn producers applying more than 50 million lbs. of formulated insecticide to control for rootworms (Doane, 2001). Most of these insecticides are applied to the soil and some of the key insecticides in use belong to the organophosphate, pyrethroid or carbamate chemical families.

While soil-applied insecticides are effective most years, their effectiveness varies from year to year depending on environmental conditions. They are weather dependent -- properly timed rain is needed for the successful functioning of the chemistry in the soil, and too much rain can reduce their effectiveness. Additionally, if conditions are too dry, the efficacy of insecticides is diminished because some soil-applied insecticides need moisture to become activated.

In 2001, the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy (NCFAP) completed a comprehensive analysis of the economic and environmental impact of biotech products. NCFAP estimates that rootworm-protected corn will decrease pesticide useage by approximately 14 million pounds per year. For more information on the NCFAP analysis on rootworm-protected corn, visit: http://www.ncfap.org/40CaseStudies/OnePagers/FieldCornIR3OnePager.pdf . 

YieldGard(R) Rootworm Corn

YieldGard Rootworm corn is the first product developed through plant biotechnology designed to control the rootworm pest and the latest product in Monsanto's "YieldGard" family of insect-control products for corn.

YieldGard Rootworm corn contains a gene from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a common soil microbe that targets rootworm larvae, allowing the corn plant to naturally protect itself against the damaging corn rootworm. The Cry3Bb1 protein that is expressed in the YieldGard Rootworm corn plant is from the Cry3 family of proteins, which are specific to the corn rootworm in the coleopteran family.

YieldGard Rootworm corn brings growers important benefits beyond the current practices they use, including:

• Effectiveness
  Rootworm-protected corn is an effective alternative to many of the traditional pesticide treatments. It provides more consistent control because it is not compromised by factors like weather conditions that can affect soil and foliar applied insecticides.
• Simplicity
  With an in-seed solution, growers have a simpler approach to insect control than ever before. Likewise, with this convenience, growers will be able to utilize their time at planting more efficiently.
• Reduced Exposure
  With protection against insect damage built into the seed, growers do not need to handle as many conventional insecticides, usually organophosphates, pyrethroids or carbamates.